Cat Ears and Commemorative Photos
Ever since he dragged me away from the unicorn enclosure, Yoon Siwoo had radiated a sharp, defensive aura whenever anyone got close to us. He had seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago, so I couldn't help but wonder what had brought on this sudden change. As I tilted my head in confusion, my eyes fell on his cap pulled low and the mask covering his face. It was only then that I realized how incredibly thoughtless I had been.
Come to think of it, Yoon Siwoo was a celebrity whose face almost everyone would recognize. If people spotted him, he would inevitably be hounded for photos and autographs. He had bundled himself up like this precisely to avoid all that hassle and enjoy a peaceful day out. Yet, of all things, I—his companion—had climbed onto a unicorn in front of a massive crowd, waving like some cartoon character shouting, "Farewell, everyone!" and drawing every eye in the vicinity... From Siwoo's perspective, traveling with me must have been an absolute nightmare of anxiety over getting exposed.
...I felt a sudden wave of guilt, remembering how I had ignored his warning that it was probably best not to ride it. Even though we had come here together, I had let my excitement get the better of me and acted entirely selfishly. I sheepishly bowed my head and offered him a quiet apology.
"Hey, I'm sorry. You told me earlier that I shouldn't ride it, but I didn't think it would draw so much attention..."
"...Just be careful. Actions like that could lead to trouble."
"...Yeah, I'll be careful from now on."
As I answered, a wave of embarrassment washed over me. Seriously, I wasn't a child anymore. Waving and grinning at a crowd just because I was excited at my age? This was actually a flaw my friends back home used to point out. Whenever things got tough, I tried so hard to stay positive that sometimes my thoughts and actions bypassed my mental filter entirely. Of course, once the dust settled and someone pointed it out, the sheer mortification would hit me like a truck. I kept my head bowed, unable to look him in the eye, when Siwoo suddenly murmured.
"...You know, Scarlet, you looked really happy when you were riding the unicorn. I've never seen you smile so brightly before."
"...Well, it was my first time. Seeing a unicorn, let alone riding one."
For some reason, his words sounded like he was teasing me, as if saying, 'Wow, did you really love it that much?' Back in my old life, whenever I did something like this, my friends would tease me about it for weeks. Suspecting that he was about to start roasting me too, I snapped back defensively.
"Your first time... Right, of course it would be..."
However, after muttering those words, what Siwoo said next was completely different from what I had expected.
"...Look, I told you to be careful just now, but when you're with me, you can do whatever you want. Don't worry about other people."
"...But that might cause trouble for you."
"Even if it does, I can handle the aftermath. So, Scarlet, just do whatever you want and enjoy yourself to the fullest. Got it?"
Seeing him speak with such firm insistence, I could feel his sincerity. He was saying this because he didn't want me to hold back on his account. Even someone like me couldn't help but be touched by his deep consideration—he was willing to take the hit just so I could have fun. What a guy. He really is a true friend... If I rejected his offer now, it would only make things awkward, so I nodded in agreement. Siwoo smiled and asked,
"Alright, is there anything else you want to do?"
"...For starters, let's go see the other animals. My goal for today is to pet every single touchable animal here!"
"Sounds good. We have plenty of time, so let's visit them one by one."
Armed with this grand ambition, I began exploring the zoo with Yoon Siwoo. But it didn't take long for me to realize that there was a fatal flaw in my plan. It started at the sheep pasture, our next stop after the unicorns. The moment I reached out to pet a sheep, it bolted in the opposite direction.
"...Huh?"
"...Ahaha, that's strange. Our sheep are usually incredibly friendly with people."
For the sheep, I let it go, assuming it was just a particularly skittish one. But it didn't stop there.
"...E-Excuse me, keeper?"
"W-Why are they suddenly acting like this?"
The puppies that had been acting cute to get treats from other visitors; the birds that would normally fly down to peck seeds straight from people's palms; the penguins that lazily rubbed their heads against hands to get fish; even the horses, which didn't look all that different from unicorns. The moment I reached out, every single one of them startled and fled. I had no choice but to accept the cold, hard truth. I possessed a constitution that animals absolutely loathed.
"...Why? Why is everyone avoiding only me?"
After wandering around, we finally arrived at a place called Cat Town, which was supposed to be packed with friendly felines. There, I sank to my knees in utter despair, muttering to myself. Every single passerby had at least one cat clinging to them, while I stood entirely alone in a desolate, empty patch of dirt. Perhaps finding me pitiful, Yoon Siwoo tried to comfort me.
"Uh, don't be too discouraged. Everyone has a different constitution."
"...Must be nice. Animals love you. Ugh, I want to hold a cat too... The unicorn liked me earlier..."
But hearing that from a guy who was literally covered in cats from head to toe offered zero comfort. To think every animal besides that unicorn would hate me. That unicorn must have been some hipster with bizarre tastes. Damn it, I wanted to hold a cat too. As I stared enviously at Yoon Siwoo, who was monopolizing all the feline affection, he gently picked up one of the cats clinging to his shoulder and held it out to me. But the moment I hesitantly reached out, the cat hissed, thrashed wildly, broke free from his grip, and bolted. To make matters worse, the other cats still on Siwoo puffed up their fur and glared at me in hostile vigilance just because I had stepped closer. I let out a bitter laugh and muttered,
"...I think my presence is stressing them out. I'll wait outside. Take your time playing with them."
"Ah..."
Swallowing my tears, I walked out and sat on a nearby bench, letting out a heavy sigh. I had never smoked a day in my life, but I wondered if this was what it felt like to crave a cigarette. All I had on me, though, was a lemon candy I had packed just in case. I popped it into my mouth, wallowing in self-pity as I told myself, 'The only reason my eyes are watering right now is because this candy is so sour.' Just then, I spotted Yoon Siwoo walking out of Cat Town. He had followed me out, holding a strange paper bag in his hand.
"...Why did you come out so fast? You should've played with the cats more."
"No, well... it's just..."
When I chided him, Yoon Siwoo stammered, hesitating for a moment.
"H-Here..."
He pulled something out of the bag and thrust it into my arms. Feeling the soft, plush texture, I looked down.
"...A plushie?"
It was a cat plushie, likely sold at the Cat Town gift shop.
"I-I know it's not a real cat, but I thought maybe this... Hey, don't get the wrong idea! I'm not trying to make fun of you! It's just, you looked so sad..."
Yoon Siwoo blurted out the words in a panicked, trembling voice. ...I knew. I knew he wasn't teasing me. I knew he wasn't that kind of guy, and more than anything, his desperate expression laid bare his earnest desire to comfort me. I didn't have a hobby of collecting stuffed animals, but his gesture was just so incredibly sweet. Hugging the plushie tight to my chest, I let out a soft chuckle and looked up at him.
"...Thank you. This actually makes me feel a lot better. I'll cherish it."
"...Really? I'm glad it helped..."
Siwoo scratched his cheek, smiling sheepishly. Still, carrying this plushie around the entire day was going to be a bit inconvenient. It might get dirty, too. Thinking it would be better to put it back in the bag, I reached out and snatched the paper bag from his hand. At that, Siwoo let out a panicked gasp.
"Ah, w-wait! I can carry the plushie for you!"
"Come on, you bought it for me, so the least I can do is carry it... Huh? Wait, did you buy something else too? What's this? A headband?"
"I-I just bought it as a souvenir! Just a souvenir!"
Inside the bag I had opened to put the plushie away were two headbands with cat ears. One white, one black. Siwoo claimed he bought them as souvenirs, but no matter how you looked at it, these weren't just... As I gave him a knowing look, Siwoo darted his eyes between me and the headbands in my hand, completely fidgety. Seeing him like that made me chuckle. Sigh, what a dishonest guy. I burst into laughter and slipped the black cat-ear headband onto my head. Siwoo let out a bewildered squeak.
"...Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? Here, this one's yours. Let me put it on you."
Taking advantage of his dazed state, I stood on my tiptoes and slipped the white headband over his cap. I nodded in satisfaction at the sight. It suited him. Even though his hair was hidden under the cap, white was definitely Siwoo's color. I spoke to him as he blankly patted the headband on his head.
"Dummy, these make terrible souvenirs. If you take a headband like this home, you'll never wear it, and you can't exactly display it like a plushie. You can only wear stuff like this at places like this. So if we don't wear them now, it's a waste of money. Right?"
As Siwoo nodded as if under a spell, I shoved the plushie back into his arms and said,
"Here, hold this for a second, and give me your phone."
"Why my phone...?"
"What do you mean, why? We need to take a commemorative photo, so hand it over."
When I unlocked the phone Siwoo blankly handed me, I couldn't help but click my tongue in pity. The lock screen and gallery were utterly desolate. Knowing that I probably deserved a good chunk of the blame for why this guy—who should have been a massive social butterfly—had no friends, I felt a sudden, solemn sense of duty in this tragic situation. As his likely only friend, I had to fulfill my duties. I slung my left arm over his shoulder, stretched my right arm out, and framed the two of us on the screen.
"Alright, I'm taking it. Smile!"
With a sharp click, the photo was taken. When I checked the result, I burst out laughing. Even with the mask on, Siwoo's expression was so incredibly dorky that it couldn't be hidden. I set the photo as his wallpaper and handed the phone back to him. As he stared blankly at the screen, checking his new wallpaper, I spoke, recalling an old memory.
"If you want to remember today, a photo is much better than a souvenir. Every time you look at it, the memories will come flooding back."
Back when I went on trips with my friends, there was always that one person who took photos of absolutely everything—where we went, what we ate. Back then, I never understood why they went through all that trouble. But as time passed, I finally understood what they meant when they said photos are the only things that last. Every time I looked at the photos set as my wallpaper from those days, I couldn't help but smile. Hoping that today would remain a similarly happy memory for Yoon Siwoo, I said to him,
"Since you got me a gift, this is my payback."
"...Yeah. I'll cherish it. I'll cherish it forever."
Seeing Yoon Siwoo smile so brightly while clutching his phone, looking genuinely happy, brought a small smile to my face as well.
"Ah! Big sister and big brother became kitty beastkin!"
"Kitty beastkin? Ah, you mean the headbands."
"Hehe, kitty big sister!"
After wandering around with Yoon Siwoo, we reunited with the other children who were touring the animals. Rion ran up and clung to me with a bright smile. Although the director had told us to leave the kids to her and enjoy ourselves, I had felt a bit guilty for neglecting Rion since we had promised to come together. Seeing her happy face, though, it seemed she was having a great time.
"Did you see a lot of animals?"
"Yeah! I saw Mr. Giraffe, and Mr. Tiger went rawr! Rion is going to draw Mr. Bear now. Big sister and big brother, come with me! We're all going to draw a picture with Mr. Bear."
"Sure, let's go see the bears together."
"Yay!"
After getting the director's permission, we headed to the bear enclosure. Rion, holding my hand, was practically bouncing with excitement to see her absolute favorite animal. Once we arrived, she sat Yoon Siwoo and me down on a bench in front of the enclosure, even designating our exact spots.
"Big sister sits here, and big brother sits a little bit away over there!"
"...Why are you leaving the middle empty?"
"The middle is Rion's spot! But Rion has to look and draw, so I can't sit there! Big sister and big brother just have to sit still until Rion finishes drawing!"
Honestly, considering how abstract and free-spirited Rion's drawings usually were, I doubted she actually needed us there to reference. But apparently, she insisted on having models. After setting our positions, Rion wandered around the bench, searching for the perfect angle. Finally nodding in satisfaction, she plonked herself down on the ground a short distance away. My heart skipped a beat seeing her sit directly on the dirt in her white dress, but I quickly figured the director must have prepared herself for this. You don't dress a kid in white unless you're ready for it to get dirty. As we acted as her models, watching Rion cutely lose herself in her crayons, I grew a bit bored and struck up a conversation with Siwoo.
"Hey, Yoon Siwoo."
"Huh?! Oh, yeah? What is it?"
"I've been wondering about something. That 'beastkin' race Rion mentioned... they actually existed, right?"
"Yeah. Just like you said, they existed. But like most other demi-human races, they were wiped out by the Witch of Gluttony long ago."
Yoon Siwoo answered calmly. So, a beastkin race really did exist in this world. In that case, there was something I had been curious about for a long time.
"Hey. Did cat beastkin really end all their sentences with cat noises?"
"Cat noises at the end of sentences? I've never heard of anything like that."
"What... so they didn't? That's actually a bit of a shock..."
Good grief, then what were all those beastkin I read about in novels back in my old life? As I reeled in tragic disbelief over this devastating revelation, Yoon Siwoo looked at me, completely baffled.
"Uh, what exactly do you mean by 'cat noises' anyway?"
"Ah, you don't get it? For example, talking like this, meow. You just add meow to the end of every sentence, meow."
And the very moment I kindly demonstrated this to enlighten his ignorant soul, Yoon Siwoo suddenly choked, letting out a violent fit of coughing.
"Whoa, hey! Are you okay?!"
"*Cough*, *hack*... I-I'm just going to go buy some drinks. *Cough*..."
"Oh, uh, sure. Go ahead."
Having choked so hard that his face, neck, and ears were flushed bright red, Siwoo practically sprinted away to get drinks, still coughing. Geez... is he going to be okay? As I watched his retreating figure with concern, something felt off. Yoon Siwoo, one of her models, had suddenly vanished, yet Rion hadn't reacted at all. I tilted my head and looked at her, only to realize something was wrong. Rion was staring blankly at the space where Siwoo and I had been sitting, her hands moving mechanically as she scribbled on her sketchbook. Having seen this state before, I knew instantly. Her bizarre ability to draw the future had activated. I stood up and approached her. Let's see, what on earth did she draw—
"...Hey, Scarlet. I bought a drink for you too."
Hearing Yoon Siwoo's voice from behind, I quickly tore the page out of the sketchbook, stuffed it into the bag with the plushie, and spun around. Siwoo looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"...Did something happen?"
"...It's nothing. Nothing at all."
In that moment, I could only pray that my answer didn't sound like a lie to him. Why I had done such a thing, even I didn't know.